Karaoke Night
by Glory1863
Summary: Sometimes the music is on the machine. Sometimes it's only in your head. Six song based drabble, stories of 100 words, with a Shran emphasis.
1. Singing the Blues

I read about the drabble genre (stories of 100 words) at another site and decided to give it a try. Anything Paramount/Viacom recognizes as theirs probably is, but _Song Sung Blue_ belongs to Neil Diamond. By the way, the decision about whether the reference is to Archer/T'Pol or Trip/T'Pol belongs to you!

Singing the Blues

Two men with woman trouble sat nursing blue drinks in a dive bar on Risa. Andorian ale or Romulan ale? Who knew? By this round, who cared?

One said, "Cool and serene . . . my ass!"

"I hear ya, brother!" the other said. "Logical and emotionless . . . bull!"

An old Earth song came on the karaoke.

"Dare ya!" the second man said.

"_Me and you are subject to the blues now and then," _the first sang in only slightly slurred Andorian.

"_But when you take the blues and make a song . . . ,"_ the second man chorused off-key.

Yep, _song sung blue, everybody knows one_!


	2. Feeling His Pain

The song _Sad Songs (Say So Much)_ belongs to Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Someone on one of the sites made the comment that Shran, having lost an elder brother, seemed more concerned about Trip's loss of his sister than Archer did. I'm not qualified to say, but I like the idea of those two sharing that bond as a basis for friendship.

Feeling His Pain

He sat alone in a dive bar somewhere in Florida. It had been a class establishment once, before the Xindi came; but there had been a lot of good things before the Xindi came, like his sister Elizabeth, laughter, love and joy. Now those things were gone.

The karaoke was playing Elton John.

A blue drink appeared before him; a warm blue hand touched his shoulder.

_And it's times like these when we all need to hear the radio_

'_Cause from the lips of some old singer_

_We can share the troubles we already know._

_Sad songs say so much._


	3. Brown Eyes Blue

The song _Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue_ belongs to Crystal Gayle. I can't honestly say I was a fan when it was popular years ago, but good science fiction (and _Trek_ usually is) makes you look at old things in new ways. It seems an appropriate way for my favorite character to mourn the loss of his lady.

Brown Eyes Blue

He sat alone nursing a blue drink in a dark corner of a dive bar on Risa. Andorian ale or Romulan ale? Who cares? Drunk was all that mattered. She'd died a year ago today.

An old Earth tune came on the karaoke. He heard only bits and pieces of the song.

_Don't know when I've been so blue . . ._

_I'll be fine when you're gone_

_I'll just cry all night long . . ._

_Didn't know just what I had _

_But, honey, now I do . . ._

He put his head down on the table and wept silently.

_Don't it make my brown eyes blue._


	4. Shipwreck

The song _Captain of a Shipwreck_ belongs to Neil Diamond. It is one of his newer (2005) songs and one I fell in love with immediately.

Shipwreck

Four men, a commander and three crew, sat in the otherwise deserted mess hall and nursed blue drinks, Andorian ale from Archer's private stash.

First round: To Andoria.

Second round: To _Kumari._

Third round: To lost comrades.

The voice of Neil Diamond could be heard softly on the sound system.

_Trust in me to share your burden_

_Stand by you where I belong . . ._

_If you're a captain of a shipwreck_

_You can find me up on the top deck_

_You'll be captain of a shipwreck_

_I'll be first mate to your shame._

Only these three would ever see his tears.


	5. Miserable

The song _Empty Chairs at Empty Tables_ comes from the musical _Les Misérables_ by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg with English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. When I read Night's Darkness' very moving piece _Soldiers_, I immediately thought of this song and wanted to write a story based on it. Somehow I ended up with _The Dream of a Summer's Day_ and a new, valued friend instead. However, when it came to the story, Dad always said, "If at first you don't succeed . . ."

Miserable

_There's a grief that can't be spoken _

_There's a pain goes on and on_

Earlier he had brought the crystal vial containing her blood to the Wall of Heroes. "Talas, Beloved," he whispered.

Later he had traced the already weathering name with trembling fingers. "Big Brother," he whispered.

_Empty chairs at empty tables_

_Now my friends are dead and gone._

The bottle was empty. The barkeep had shouted, "Last call!"

_Oh my friends, my friends, forgive me_

_That I live and you are gone_

He trudged out into the snowy night to rejoin his ship.

_The lonely barricade at dawn._


	6. Starship Alabama

A word of explanation: The lyrics quoted in this drabble are from an American Civil War song, _Roll, Alabama, Roll_ that chronicled the exploits of the _CSS Alabama_, a fairly successful Rebel commerce raider built in England but eventually sunk by the _USS Kearsarge_ off Cherbourg, France, in 1864. Since then, the US Navy has given the name _Alabama_ to two battleships and a ballistic missile submarine. I had Starfleet carry on the tradition as it had with the name _Enterprise._

Starship _Alabama_

On a good day, with the right engineer, the ship could make warp 9. Admiral Tucker had seen to that.

_When the Alabama's keel was laid_

_It was laid in the yards of Jonathan Laird_

_Liverpool fitted her with guns and men_

Admiral Reed, with the assistance of General Shran, had provided the most modern weaponry.

On commissioning day, Admiral Jonathan Archer (Ret.) had given the command, "Engage."

God pity the Romulans!

Trip just hoped this ship wouldn't end up like its predecessor.

_Off the 3 mile limit in '64_

_The Alabama sank to the ocean floor_

_Roll, Alabama, roll!_


End file.
